4 trends for the Internet of Things in 2018

A few years ago, Gartner predicted that 8.4 billion connected objects would be in circulation by 2018. According to a Statista report, this estimate may have been too conservative, as the current number of connected objects currently in circulation around the world is closer to 20 billions. Statista’s report confirms that the Internet of Things is a rapidly growing market that has the wind in its sails.

In 2018, the Internet of Things has continued to grow and to gain both maturity and momentum. On the software development side, there’s still a lot of work to do, but many important steps forward were made in the past 12 months.

Here are a few trends for 2018:

1 – Massive adoption of Internet of Things platforms

The IoT software platforms offered by companies like IBM, Amazon, Cisco and GE can make it easier for development teams to create, integrate and manage an infrastructure centered around the Internet of Things. These platforms facilitate communication between connected objects, sharing data, managing connected objects and developing new functionalities, which makes it easier to maintain an IoT infrastructure.

Because these platforms are competing with each other, many innovative features were made available to development teams in 2018, which is a positive for both the market and for consumers. Amazon’s AWS IoT service allows users to take advantage of machine learning for connected objects while IBM’s Watson IoT platform offers AI functionalities. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Azure IoT service is offering device management functionalities. And this is only the beginning!

In 2019, we should see these platforms offer preventive maintenance services among other new features.

2 – The Internet Of Things and emerging technologies

The Internet of Things is not the only market that’s gaining a lot of momentum right now. Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Image Recognition technology, Augmented Reality and the Blockchain are all very exciting markets right now. As these emerging technologies gain maturity and popularity, we’ll see them used in combination with the Internet of Things to create revolutionary products.

For example, a startup in the world of Blockchain and the Internet of Things, IOTA, is currently working on an important project that would facilitate automated financial transactions between connected objects. Another example: Zappar is currently trying to use augmented technology to make connected objects more interactive and more attractive to consumers.

These new technologies will continue to transform connected objects in the coming years.

3 – A more efficient use of data

Connected objects can gather a lot of data, but data by itself can mean very little if it’s not properly indexed and formatted. In 2018, many important companies tweaked their data strategies to make data collection and analysis more efficient and more meaningful. As a result, these companies are now better able to understand how their connected objects are being used in the real world and can even sometimes monetize the data they already have.

In 2019, companies will continue to try to maximize their collection of data while adopting even more sophisticated data strategies by implementing complete data management platforms, such as Delphix’s.

4 – Security is king

As the IoT market continues to gain momentum, developers who work in the world of the Internet of Things need to prioritize security above everything else. According to a Mobile Ecosystem Forum study, more than 60% of consumers have concerns when it comes to security and the Internet of Things, or connected objects’ ability to respect privacy. Ensuring that private data is safe and that financial transactions are secure is a must for the Internet of Things moving forward, which is why we’re seeing a lot of new techniques, innovations and strategies in this area right now. New models of Amazon’s Alexa, for example, can now recognize up to 10 individual voices, which makes the user identification process more secure.

IoT projects are becoming more ambitious and even more connected as a whole (Smart Cities, Smart Buildings, Smart Homes and so on). On one hand, allowing data to circulate freely between connected devices could solve a ton of problems when it comes to healthcare services, services to citizens and more. On the other, that same data being manipulated in any way could have very negative consequences for cities and private organisations. Makers of connected objects are currently working on striking the right balance.

The IoT market’s potential is gigantic as connected objects could transform many industries in the years to come. By keeping an eye on trends and innovations in this field, you’ll be better able to understand the problems the industry is currently trying to solve and the needs of end users. If you’re interested in the Internet of Things, we’re currently accepting applications for the 2018 IoT Challenge, presented by Bell. We’re inviting you to discover the world of the Internet of Things by developing your own connected object.

Team Askida

Askida is a center of expertise in software development and quality assurance whose aim is to optimize the competitive advantages of its customers while reducing cost and risk. The company develops customized, premium quality software and guarantees the quality of existing software through its own Askida solution.